If you work in an office, you’ve probably been there before – you and your coworkers sit around a table, waiting to connect to another office halfway across the country. And just when the meeting seems to be getting underway, you lose the connection. Or perhaps one group can’t hear the other. Despite advances in technology, conference calls are still a painful process.

Digital savant Omar Gallaga of the Austin American-Statesman’s 512 Tech says conference calls rose in popularity along with the Internet. Companies found they could save on travel by using online platforms to connect employees. Trouble is, the Internet has also allowed a number of platforms for conference calling and remote communication to grow. And they often don’t play well with others.

What you’ll hear in this segment:

–Which technologies create conference call “pain points”

–How humans can make conference calls better by planning ahead

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